Who wants Red Dead Redemption for $23.99? Enough people to crash GameStop's web page, foiling the company's attempt to feature the game as this week's Power Hour deal.

GameStop's weekly Power Hour deals are generally the source of some pretty good video game bargains. Previously featured deals include Halo 3: ODST and God of War II at prices at or below $20.

This week GameStop tried something a little different: They let the players vote for the deal they wanted. The choices were UFC 2010 for $23.99, Pokémon HeartGold or SoulSilver for $15.99 apiece, or Red Dead Redemption for $23.99. The winner, delivered last night via the GameStop Facebook page, was Red Dead Redemption.

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What was supposed to happen next was a one-hour sale, starting at 11AM Central time, during which visitors to GameStop.com could purchase an amazingly cheap copy of Red Dead Redemption while supplies lasted.

What actually happened? The GameStop website went down, at least for most people. The few that could get connected spent their time trying to stay connected long enough to buy the game, often getting to checkout only to find the item had been removed from their shopping cart.

An entry on the GameStop Facebook page mentions the problems.

Many of you have noticed that GameStop.com is currently down. We're aware of the issue and are working to resolve it as quickly as possible. You'll be the first to know when it's up and running again.

The site was up and running again shortly after the hour-long sale ended, leaving a lot of angry, unsatisfied gamers wondering what happened, and what happens next. All we know currently is that GameStop acknowledges the snafu, and would like to fix things, somehow.

We'd like to sincerely apologize for the extended server issues that prevented many of you from participating in the Power Hour deal this morning, particularly those who had the game removed from your shopping cart. Thank you for your patience. We've heard your feedback and we're committed to making this right.

I can't see how the company will be able to get itself out of this jam without taking a major hit on copies of Rockstar's Western epic. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot.